How much time can you spend on this drive?

This is a great trip. Our favorite towns for overnight in Oregon are Cannon Beach, Newport, Yachats, and Bandon, and in California, we like to stay in Benbow (Benbow Inn) and in Mendocino.

The driving distance between Seattle and San Francisco on the interstate is about 800 miles and via the coastal route it is about 1000 miles.

Thanks for the imput... I was actually looking at staying in Cannon Beach as a first stop. I have about 4 days to complete the trip to Benicia Ca. I want to spend a couple of days with my Mom there then we are flying out of Oakland on the 31st.

When we did that full drive, the Oregon coast was beautiful but a real pain as it was bumper to bumper traffic -- but that was summer. Perhaps you'll beat the crowd in May, unless it includes Memorial Day weekend.

My favorite stops on your route are at the Redwoods at Crescent City and again at Mendocino.

Thanks.. We will consider the stop at Mendocino..

After Cannon Beach, assuming you have 3 nights and 4 days for the rest of the drive, I'd suggest Bandon, Trinidad (for the redwoods) and Mendocino. I loved my stay at the Lost Whale Inn B&B in Trinidad when I did this trip a couple years ago. But I also really liked the Benbow in Garberville a bit south of there as previously suggested, so it really depends on what works for your itinerary and what type of lodging you prefer.

Thanks NWWanderer... I have found on my travels that Fodorites very rarely steer you in a wrong direction, I will definately consider ... Thanks

We'll be making this same trip in September. Look forward to all your comments and recommendations!

The Lost Whale in Trinidad is a great place to stay as nwwanderer says. There's a lot of info on both the Oregon Coast and the redwoods in previous posts on this board. Do a search and you will get lots of good suggestions.

This trip report is from 3 years ago - but all the info still applies. It is for a drive the other direction but it includes from south of Mendocino to Bandon (and then inland to Roseburg).

http://www.fodors.com/community/united-states/no-calif-so-ore-coast-trip-report.cfm

We are planning the same trip from seattle to san fran. Is it worth staying a night in Port Townsend? Also, is it worth visiting along the oregon side on the Missouri River? We are planning in doing all of this in about 7 to 8 days. Is this possible? Thanks for your help.

"Also, is it worth visiting along the oregon side on the Missouri River?"

Cameron - Get a good map before you get totally lost on your drive from Seattle. Otherwise you might end up in St Louis.

However, if you want to see the Columbia River, the drive along the Oregon side is very scenic and one of Oregon's highlights. Take your time on this drive and visit the beautiful waterfalls.

Port Townsend is well worth visiting and is not too far off your route if you are going to visit Olympic National Park which should be a must-see on your trip.

We did the drive from Seattle to San Francisco a year ago and it was fabulous. The Oregon coast is breathtaking. We stayed in Cannon Beach, Yachats (Overleaf Lodge----wonderful), a small town near the CA border that I can't remember the name of and then Mendocino. It was a great drive with lots of oooooh and aaaaah moments. The coast road is naturally a bit of a slow go but we thought it was a great option.

I would not shoot for any place very popular the first night - Memorial Day weekend + Oregon coast = jammed.

My recommendations, based on maybe 50-60 trips on this route -

Sun night - Seattle or Portland

Mon night - Bandon, OR - I-5 south to Oregon SR 38, out along the very scenic Umpqua River to the coast. I know this bypasses the north and central Oregon coast, but the southern coast (and IMO the northern Calif. coast) are the highlights.

Tues night - Ferndale, CA. Spend the day seeing the sights along the south coast, then make numerous stops in the Redwood groves between Crescent City and Eureka. Ferndale has a high cute index, in a B&B sort of way. Have an early dinner at the Samoa Cookhouse in Samoa (CA) across the bay from Eureka. Very fun place. http://www.samoacookhouse.net/

Weds night - either Benecia, or if time allows, along the SR 1 coast, maybe Mendocino or Gualala.

Meant to add, if time permits, the loop road from Ferndale down to the top of the Lost Coast and back to US 101 is quite grand; well off the beaten path in these parts.

Sorry I meant the Columbia river, I even looked it up before I wrote that. So here is our plan.
1 night seattle
1 night port angeles
2 nights in portland-- 1 to coumbia river the other to cannon beach
1 night crater lake
1 night around eureka
1 night san fran
Does this seem reasonable?
Anything I am leaving out?

Cameron256, when would this be? Reason being, the crucial bridge over Hood Canal between Seattle and the Olympic Peninsula is going to be under construction and closed for six weeks starting May 1. That makes the trip to PA twice as long. As it is, I think Port Angeles to Portland is a pretty long day, but not as long as Crater Lake to Eureka, given the quality of the scenery you'd be roaring through. Personally I'd suggest skipping Crater Lake and spending more time on the coast or in the Redwoods. In my book (and others may well disagree) the benefit:cost ratio of hitting Crater Lake in an otherwise coastal itinerary isn't there.

How was your trip from Seattle to San Francisco? How many days? Where did you stay? We are also crusing in Alaska and will undertake the trip in early September. Thank you for sharing your info.

edithgirod: Wyland7 has not been back on Fodors since posting this in early March -- and didn't post a trip report.

Instead of tacking on to an old thread, you might do better to start a new thread asking your own specific questions.

Hi janisj, Thanks. How do I do that? Thanks

WE'RE DRIVING FROM SEATTLE TO SAN FRANCISCO STARTING JULY 11TH. I JUST READ IT IS CROWDED THIS TIME OF YEAR. IS IT BETTER TO DRIVE THE SCENIC ROUTE ONLY IN CERTAIN AREAS? I HATE TO MISS ANYTHING. WE HAVE ABOUT 2-2 1/2 WEEKS. WE DO PLAN TO DRIVE DOWN TO SAN DIEGO AREA ALSO. ANY OTHER PLACES TO STAY WILL BE GREAT INFO. THANKS WINEAUXS2ITLAY

wineauxs2italy, if you want to drive the freeway, which is not very scenic except in Northern California, you can do the Seattle-San Francisco trip in two long days, staying overnight in Southern Oregon or Northern California. Done it several times and it is not fun. My recommendation is that you drive the freeway from Seattle to exit 39 (Kelso/Longview) which puts you on state highway 4 heading toward the coast. At Cathlamet you will find a very inexpensive ($3) ferry that will take you across the Columbia River to Oregon. Once on the Oregon side you will be on US-30 which takes you to Astoria, Oregon and south to the beach towns via US-101.

In July you will find crowding in the beach towns, which is as expected because we don't get all that much sun during the year. As you drive along 101 the scenery gets better the further south you go. When you see signs for the Newton P. Drury Scenic Bypass, take that exit for a lovely drive through a redwood forest. Further south, in Northern California, you will find the Avenue of the Giants, a 31-mile trip through the redwoods (it begins just south of Scotia, California).

Insofar as lodging is concerned, summer is high season and accommodations fill up rapidly. Use a search engine and a map to inquire about lodging and make reservations as soon as possible.

Bobmrg, Thanks for the tip